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Bay Area Arts and Entertainment BlogMon, 30 Mar 2015 12:40:46 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1Comparing Bayonetta and God of War III (preview)http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2009/07/30/comparing-bayonetta-and-god-of-war-iii-preview/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2009/07/30/comparing-bayonetta-and-god-of-war-iii-preview/#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2009 20:12:01 +0000Gieson Cachohttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/?p=15644
With all the delays, it seems as if 2010 will be the greatest year for the industry or the video game apocalypse. I can already count 10 games that I really want to play next year, and I’m expecting two… Continue Reading →]]>
With all the delays, it seems as if 2010 will be the greatest year for the industry or the video game apocalypse. I can already count 10 games that I really want to play next year, and I'm expecting two of them to come out within months of each other. Bayonetta will be rolling in Jaunary 2010 and God of War III will be launching in March 2010.
Both are action-packed beat-'em ups, both feature epic characters and both were at the Comic Con last week. I had a chance to play both of them, and for the life of me, I can't decide which one I liked better. Both have their advantages (I couldn't find much to criticize): God of War III is the finale with years of mythology and lore built atop it. Among gamers, Kratos is a character that has as much popularity as Master Chief.
On the other hand, Bayonetta may be the newcomer on the block, but Platinum Games has some old hands on deck. Viewtiful Joe and Okami director Hideki Kamiya helms this title and his amazing touch with action games shows. As Devil May Cry-type games become more common, he's one of the few developers who can actually evolve the genre.
When it comes down to it, these two games are character-driven. They're amazing heroes who fight with their distinct style. Kratos destroys skeletons and harpies with his familiar brutality. He doesn't put down a centaur, he disembowels it. He doesn't stab a harpie, he uses it as a floating platform to scale chasms.
Bayonetta is more feminine and stylish. She makes angel-slaying look like ballet. A successful evade slows enemies down in a Witch Time. She can shoot down multiple foes with a brilliant analog mechanic. The hair that covers her body is a weapon in and of itself.
But what both games have in common is that they leverage the abilities of their characters and create some amazing levels. With Kratos, it's great to see a developer leave the powers of their hero from the previous game. By all accounts, everyone's favorite Spartan has some of the abilities he gathered from God of War II. He can fire arrows. He can switch to the Gauntlet of Zeus.
But Kratos also has some new abilities. He can break free from a bum rush of skeletons by rotating the analog stick. He can grab an enemy and use it as battering ram in narrow hallways. There's a viciousness to his attacks that's satisfying. I almost forgot how powerful it is to play as Kratos and how his single-minded fury won't let anything as trivial as innocent civilians get in his way.
As I mentioned before, the minibosses are great in and of themselves. The centaur battle was good, but the chimera battle was amazing. I had to defeat it piecemeal by cut off its parts. Like before, there's a quick time minigame when a minibosses health is low, but this time around, Sony's Santa Monica Studios put the input on the edges of the screen letting you see more of the action. Although it's less distracting, it threw my off a bit. I'm used to seeing the prompts in the center.
Eventually, I finally shot down Helios with the ballista, and in brutal fashion, Kratos makes his way over and rips (yes, I said rips) off the sun god's head and uses it as his new flashlight. Aside from letting him see in the dark and showing off some nice shadowing effects, the head alerts Kratos to secrets within the game.
Coming from a different angle, Platinum Games' Bayonetta is less about brutality and more about finesse. The titular character is definitely more elegant than Kratos, but that doesn't mean she's less powerful. Playing through the Bayonetta demo, I felt she was more agile and quick. As for her moves, they're definitely over the top.
Let me put it this way, for every brutal finish Kratos has, Bayonetta has a ridiculous finisher or torture move that's just as astounding. It's a new alternative to the quick time scenarios that again became popular with Resident Evil 4. Instead of interrupting gameplay with a cinematic, the move, done by pressing two buttons together and mashing, flows with the combat. It definitely feels more active. In addition, the finisher/torture move varies depending on the angle in which players perform it.
Another new element is the ability to shoot multiple enemies hovering around Bayonetta. Again, this is a new mechanic that feels fresh. I expected it to be cumbersome, but it's pretty easy to activate by rotating the analog stick and firing Bayonetta's gun, I was able to go into the mode, which automatic locks on to flying enemies and lets me blast them.
Lastly, there's Witch Time, which turned on when I successfully dodged an attack at the last second. It slowed time and let me unload and get a finisher off.
As for the level design, it's just as impressive as God of War III's. Bayonetta fights giant angels and collects their haloes. Platinum Games' heroine leaps off crumbling platforms and fights through rivers of lava. Everything is done with high style that reminds me of Charlie's Angels.
Comparing the two games, it comes down to this. I'm looking forward to seeing God of War III because I want to see the end of the story that started almost five years ago. I'm excited for Bayonetta because I'm a huge fan of what Kamiya is doing with the gameplay.
As for the quesiton of which game will be better? We'll have to settle that question next year. Man, 2010 can't get here soon enough.]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2009/07/30/comparing-bayonetta-and-god-of-war-iii-preview/feed/18bayo_E3_0702_001.bmp